


Eye of the Zebra

by SadaVeniren



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-09
Updated: 2019-07-09
Packaged: 2020-06-25 02:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19736629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadaVeniren/pseuds/SadaVeniren
Summary: Dad was wearing a zebra mask at the bus stop today.





	Eye of the Zebra

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a Wordplay prompt challenge for the prompt "zebra". To read the amazing fics that were written by the others on this prompt, [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/zebra), and to see all fics written as part of the challenge (including years 1 and 2), [click here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wordplay_fic_challenge/works). You can also find the masterpost for this year’s challenge [here](https://wordplayfics.tumblr.com/post/185709101043/wordplay-2019-every-week-for-five-weeks-a-prompt).

It all started innocently enough. Ellen was starting school and she’d been nervous about her first day. Thomas totally got that because he kinda remembered what his first day of school had been like, and he hadn’t had an older sibling to tell him it would be okay like he’d been telling Ellen all summer. Their dads had tried to cheer her up and make her less nervous by taking them school shopping, something Thomas was pretty sure he was still allowed to get excited about - as long as he didn’t mention it to any of his friends (even though he knew they enjoyed it too).

And it had been fine, _great_ even. Thomas had gotten some new clothes, Ellen had gotten new clothes, it was all swimmingly. Except the first day of school, Thomas standing by the front door with his shiny new Yugioh backpack that was definitely going to get all of the compliments from his friends, Ellen had refused to come out of her room.

“I don’t wanna go to school!” Ellen yelled, even as Papa had tried to bribe her with the breakfast he’d made her.

“Come on, love,” Papa said, kneeling outside her door. Thomas peeked down the corridor to watch him. “It’s your favorite. French toast sticks. They have strawberries and cream cheese inside them.”

“No!” Ellen said, and Thomas could hear her starting to cry. “I don’t wanna go! Everyone is gonna hate me!”

Thomas looked up as Dad put a hand on his shoulder. “Ellen’s being a baby.”

“Shush,” Dad said, squeezing his shoulder. “You weren’t much better, you know? You begged us to let you stay home for another year. Said you didn’t need school.”

“I don’t remember this at all,” Thomas said matter a fact, because he couldn’t. Not really. He just remembered what he was told.

Ellen finally opened the door so she could run into Papa’s arms. Thomas tugged away from Dad and headed towards the door. “Can’t I just go without her?”

“No. Be patient. You still have twenty minutes before school starts.”

“Yeah but if we want to catch the bus we need to leave _now_ , Dad.”

“We don’t need to catch the bus on the first day of school,” Dad said.

Thomas was hit with one of those moments he’d refer to later in life as “first child moments”, where he realized that the standards put out for him, however innocuous, were not being upheld when it came to Ellen. When he had to go to school, Dad and Papa had told him he had to catch the bus the first day so that way the bus driver knew who he was. Apparently that was not going to be the case with Ellen.

Even at nine Thomas knew better than to call his Dad on it. He needed to pick his battles and all.

Papa got Ellen settled at the kitchen table, and Dad made sure her backpack was all set up. Thomas hung around the door and tried not to be overly impatient.

“Everyone is gonna love your unicorn shirt,” Papa said, kissing Ellen on the forehead. “Who doesn’t love unicorns?”

“Thomas,” his sister said immediately, causing Papa and Dad to laugh.

“Here, would it help if Dad wore a unicorn shirt too? So you two matched on your way to the bus stop?”

Thomas looked at the clock and bit his lip, realizing that he still did have time to make it to the bus stop. Their house was only two away from the corner where the bus picked everyone up, so it wasn’t like it was a long walk.

Before he could think much harder on it Ellen was at the door, holding Papa’s hand while she finished off her french toast stick. Papa handed her a wet wipe to clean her hands with before giving her her backpack. Thomas wondered where Dad was for a moment before he showed up, wearing what Thomas was pretty sure was Papa’s tie dye unicorn shirt.

Ellen lit up and clapped her hands in delight before she reached out for Dad’s hand. Not like Thomas wanted to hold Dad’s hand or anything.

“Can we go now?” Thomas asked, and he was delighted when Papa nodded, and the four of them made their way outside.

Thomas ran ahead to the corner, where luckily the rest of the bus stop was still there. He immediately went to where his two friends, Bryan and Hakeem, were standing and they both pulled him into talk about who they heard was going to be in their classes. Thomas barely registered Dad and his tie dye unicorn shirt, as he and Papa talked with the other parents at the bus stop.

A few minutes later when the bus rolled up Thomas peeled away from his friends so he could make sure Ellen was with him. She was doing a lot better now that she was actually here, and there weren’t any tears as he took her onto the bus with him.

***

Dad was wearing a zebra mask at the bus stop today.

Thomas didn’t know why. What should have been something that fizzled out - Dad wearing clothes to match with Ellen - had somehow morphed over the course of the weeks. Ellen no longer seemed to need Dad’s comfort, but for some reason Dad kept it up.

So today he was wearing a zebra mask. And not just any zebra mask, but one of those full face, rubber ones that went around his whole head. It was definitely the most out there outfit he’d worn yet, usually sticking to crazy t-shirts or tulle skirts that he fished out of their dress up chest.

Ellen wasn’t even wearing an animal shirt today! But there Dad was, standing there talking with Bryan’s mom and Papa in a stupid zebra mask.

“Why is your dad so cool?” Hakeem asked.

“Cool?” Thomas asked, unable to stop the way his voice raised at the end, clearly confused. “Cool!?”

“Yeah, I wish I could wear a mask like that to school.”

“Being an adult means total freedom,” Bryan said, nodding sagely as he looked through his backpack. “You can wear what you want. Eat what you want. Go where you want.”

Thomas couldn’t believe it! His friends thought this was _cool_. How could they think that! His dad was wearing an _animal mask_ for no other reason than because he could. His mouth goldfished a bit as he tried to think of something to say. He looked back at Dad and Papa. He was pretty sure he could hear both of them trying to make zebra noises, and it was causing Bryan’s mom to laugh.

“I guess it’s just genetic,” Thomas finally decided on.

“Oh please,” Bryan said, “you wish you could be that cool!”

Thomas was taken even further aback. “What? Of course I’m that cool!” He was the coolest kid in their class. Everyone knew it. 

“You’d never be able to wear a zebra mask to school! Not the way your dad can!”

“Oh yeah? Watch me,” Thomas said as he marched over to Dad and Papa. He held out his hand, squaring his shoulders so he looked commanding. “Your mask please, father.”

He couldn’t see Dad’s expression behind the mask, but Papa at least looked amused. The rumble of the bus was coming up the street and Thomas knew he didn’t have much time.

Slowly Dad started to lift the mask up off his head.

“Lou,” Papa said, “he’s gonna get in trouble at school.”

Dad snorted, mask off, as he handed it over. “He’ll be fine. You’ll take it off when your teacher asks you too, right Thomas?”

“Course,” he said as he grabbed the mask from Dad and put it on his head. It was a lot looser on him, and smelled strongly of rubber and sweat. Thomas could just barely see through the eye holes and the world was muffled. He could just barely hear the school bus as it pulled up.

“Off with you now,” Papa said, patting him on the shoulder. “And please listen to your teacher when she tells you to take it off.”

Thomas nodded and almost flopped the mask off. He righted it and took off to get in line for the bus behind Hakeem and Bryan. From what he could see through the eye hole they looked suitably impressed with him, which is honestly all he needed. He was finally realizing why Dad had been wearing the mask.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this leave some kudos, a comment, or [reblog the tumblr post](https://sadaveniren.tumblr.com/post/186166375856/eye-of-the-zebra-by-sadaveniren-14k-dad-was)


End file.
